That’s the sense one gets when talking to people affiliated with Lutheran Church of Honolulu (LCH), which recently celebrated its 125th anniversary.
“They’re thriving,” said Interim Pastor Lesley Radius. “At a time when they could’ve said they didn’t feel like celebrating, they had a choice, and they chose to celebrate and give thanks.” The time to which Radius is referring, and the reason she has the title “Interim Pastor,” was the sudden passing of LCH’s long-term pastor Jeff Lilley on October 13, 2024 just before that Sunday’s morning worship. “This congregation has gone through some really traumatic stuff,” Radius said. “But rather than sit and feel sorry for themselves, they put their energy into amazing work in preparation for this anniversary.”
LCH turned 125 this year and celebrated with a weeklong celebration that culminated in a special worship session on Sunday, September 14, 2025.
“Leading up to the 125th celebration, it made you feel like it was a tribute to Pastor Jeff,” said Rich Mundell, Chair to the Property Committee. “Because he was so excited about this 125th. This was going to be his swan song, he was planning on retiring. He had a list of all the stuff he wanted to accomplish beforehand, and the church really came together to accomplish the list. “For the congregation to come off of Pastor Jeff’s untimely and unexpected death last fall, I think that, in an odd way, provided some energy for the 125th,” said congregant Carol Langner. “It just pulled us together in a very profound way.” “During the weeklong celebration, what I noticed the most was it was a lot of happy faces,” Mundell said. “It was a fantastic, happy celebration. Every time we got together, there were smiles and stories, and the church really looked good.”
Originally founded by German immigrants in 1900 as an offshoot of Lihue Lutheran Church, Deutsche Evangelische Lutherisch Gemeinde zu Honolulu, as it was then called, has had community outreach as an intrinsic part of its DNA practically from day one. “My grandfather served the church as pastor from 1916 to 1946 and saw them through both wars and the transition from being a German congregation to being an American congregation,” said Phyllis Hörmann, a lifelong congregant whose grandfather Arthur was one of LCH’s first pastors. “My grandfather did his Ph.D. in theology in Berlin where he met my grandmother,” Hörmann said. “He was American-born, in Missouri and then Wisconsin. He was teaching at a college there. When the war broke out, German pastors weren’t coming anymore, and so a relative was brewing beer in Hawai’i and wrote my grandfather to see if he was interested in coming.”
He came… and stayed, seeing the congregation not just through two world wars but also through growth, a language changeover from German to English, the erection and dedication of a new building, and plenty more.“I was probably one of the first babies baptized in the new building in 1953,” Hörmann said. “I’m a daughter of the congregation as well.”
Hörmann followed in her grandfather’s footsteps, attending seminary and accepting a faraway call, this time to Michigan. But when it was time to retire, she knew exactly where she was headed.“I’ve always considered LCH my home,” she said. “That’s my church home.”
LCH has long drawn all kinds of people to its doors, which can be seen in this special celebration video and in the story of Carol Langner. “I came because of the music program,” Langner said, “and I’ve been a member for about 40 years.” She came simply because she enjoys singing. “I was not attending a church,” she said. “I was church-averse. I was in my early 20s and not much interested in church. I’d gone to church during my younger years, but it was more social. But the music was enough of a draw that I thought, ‘Okay, I’ll try it out.’ And that was where I found my place.”
That’s the other thing you’ll hear a lot about when you ask LCH members about their church: music.
“We’re one of the larger worship spaces on the island, and one of the few spaces that has the quality of organ that we have,” Radius said. “We opened ourselves up and share our resources, so we have several community organizations that have concerts here. Almost every weekend there’s a concert here.” That musical spirit has shown up in lots of ways over the years, most recently in a popular series of concerts known as First Mondays.
“Monday is an off-night for area musicians,” explained Barry Wenger, Director of Music and Liturgy & Organist at LCH. “I love it, because we help musicians make a livable wage on the island. We usually have trios up to a full small chamber orchestra, helping them to survive on an island that has limited amount of work.” In many ways, music has been the backbone of LCH from its inception to this most recent celebration.
“Our folks support things really well, both in funds and in presence,” Wenger said. “If there’s a concert here, they’re here. Our First Mondays are often at capacity. For the 125th, we had forty members of the Royal Hawaiian Band, which used to be directed by one of the original organists at LCH from back in 1900-1901, and they performed some of the music that he wrote. It was a real legacy full-circle moment.” Wenger embodied that ethos by writing a collaborative liturgy for the anniversary.
“It was a joy for me,” Wenger said. “Pastors who’d been here before, and also Bishop Nagler, shared their favorite hymns and I wrote a liturgy to incorporate that. It was a joy to do it and a cool connection, both historically for those who are here from the past who came to join us while still looking to the future.”
Ultimately, Lutheran Church of Honolulu has spent the last 125 years doing its best to be a welcoming presence on an island that can often feel isolating, doing all they can to welcome anyone who walks through their doors. “One of the things about this community, is in 1993, they were the first in Honolulu to become a Reconciling in Christ congregation,” Radius said. “And it’s so much a part of their identity. They really live out ‘All are welcome.’”
“We embrace the ‘Aloha’ spirit and enjoy the diversity,” Mundell said. “There’s different cultures, even at the church. There’s a huge melting pot in the congregation.” That diversity seems to be propelling LCH as the congregation looks ahead to the next 125 years. “For me, it feels like the people are more engaged than I’ve seen in other times of my life,” Hörmann said. “And I give thanks for that.”
“I love inheriting this history,” Wenger said. “There can be a tendency sometimes to look back and see this was our heyday when we were packed on Sunday mornings. But if we can make it welcome to everyone, even if they don’t show up on Sunday mornings, then we’ve shown the light of Christ to everyone. And maybe that’s how the church should be these days.”
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